UK OSINT Toolkit for Investigative Journalists

What is OSINT and why does it matter for UK journalists?

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the practice of gathering, analysing, and using information from publicly available sources. For UK investigative journalists, this means systematically mining public registers, court databases, planning portals, procurement systems, and open web sources to build an evidence base that can underpin or corroborate a story.

The UK has an exceptionally rich ecosystem of free, public registers. Companies House holds incorporation documents, accounts, and officer histories for every UK company. The Land Registry records ownership of most land and property in England and Wales. BAILII provides free access to court judgments going back decades. The Charity Commission and OSCR (Scotland) publish accounts and trustee details for registered charities. Together, these sources allow journalists to trace money, relationships, assets, and decisions without spending a penny.

OSINT is not a replacement for human sources — but it is the documentary foundation that allows you to verify, challenge, and contextualise what sources tell you. A company director who claims their business is thriving, for example, can be tested against their Companies House filings within minutes.

Essential free UK OSINT sources

When OSINT is most valuable

• 1Verifying a source's claim about a company or individual — does the documentary record support or contradict it?
• 2Identifying relationships between individuals, companies, and assets that are not immediately visible.
• 3Building a timeline of events from public filings — incorporation dates, accounts filed, director changes, insolvency events.
• 4Finding prior litigation involving a subject, which may reveal patterns of behaviour or undisclosed disputes.
• 5Tracing property ownership and mortgages to understand an individual's financial position.
• 6Locating previous addresses, business associations, or professional registrations for a subject.
• 7Cross-referencing procurement awards with political donations, lobbyist registrations, or board memberships.
• 8Verifying the authenticity of documents by cross-referencing with public records.

Red flags to watch for

• ⚠Dormant accounts or nil-filed accounts concealing financial activity — common in shell company structures.
• ⚠Registered office at a formation agent address rather than a genuine business premises.
• ⚠Rapid director resignations or multiple director changes in a short period.
• ⚠PSC register showing no persons of significant control despite a company being active — may indicate layered corporate structures.
• ⚠Land Registry title documents with multiple charges suggesting financial distress.
• ⚠Procurement awards to companies that were incorporated shortly before winning a contract.
• ⚠Charity accounts showing unusually high expenses in categories like "consultancy" or "management fees" relative to charitable spending.
• ⚠Cross-referencing a source's account with public filings reveals material inconsistencies — treat the source's narrative with caution.

OSINT research checklist

• I have searched Companies House for the company and all associated individuals — checking officer history, not just current appointments.
• I have downloaded the most recent set of filed accounts and any dormant account filings.
• I have checked the PSC register and understand the ownership/control structure.
• I have run a Land Registry title register search on any relevant properties (£3 per title).
• I have searched BAILII for any litigation involving the subject — checking both party names.
• I have used the Charity Commission or OSCR register if the subject is connected to a charity.
• I have searched the Find a Tender Service for any government contracts.
• I have used OpenCorporates to check for overseas corporate affiliations.
• I have used X-Ray Google search (site: operator) to find indexed public documents.
• I have preserved screenshots with timestamps and URLs for every public record I have relied upon.
• I have noted the date of each search — public records change and my evidence reflects a specific point in time.

Advanced search operators

Common mistakes

• ›Treating a company filing as current when accounts may be 12-18 months out of date — always note the accounting period.
• ›Confusing persons of the same name — always cross-reference date of birth, registered address, or company number.
• ›Screenshotting but not recording the URL and timestamp — evidence is only useful if you can demonstrate when and where you found it.
• ›Not checking historic director appointments — resignations can be as revealing as current appointments.
• ›Assuming an absence of public records means no activity — some entities are simply better at not leaving paper trails.
• ›Using data aggregator sites without verifying against primary sources — aggregators may be inaccurate or out of date.
• ›Breaching a website's terms of service through automated scraping — this risks legal action and taints your evidence.
• ›Not keeping an OSINT log — if you cannot reconstruct your methodology, your evidence loses credibility.

Related guides

Primary sources

• Companies House — find and update company information
• HM Land Registry — Search for land and property information
• Charity Commission for England and Wales — charity register
• OSCR — Scottish Charity Register
• BAILII — British and Irish Legal Information Institute
• OpenCorporates — global company database
• Find a Tender Service — UK public procurement
• Bellingcat — OSINT guides and methodology

Frequently asked questions